1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates generally to noise making devices, and more particularly to devices that mimic the sound of applause.
2. Description of Related Art
Discussion of the publication herein is given for more complete background and is not to be construed as an admission that such publication is prior art for the patentability determination purposes.
In a wide variety of sporting, musical, and other entertainment events, such as football games, live theatrical productions, and musical concerts, a major source of enjoyment for the spectators is their ability to show their appreciation and pleasure for the performance of the athletes or musicians. At such events, the spectators often wish not only to show their appreciation, but also to inspire other spectators to do the same. Creating loud sounds such as applause, whistling, yelling and stomping inspires other spectators to increase the volume of their appreciation. Magnifying the sound of applause shows greater appreciation for the athletes or other performers. One conventional method of response by the audience is applause, which is created by clapping two hands together.
In large arenas, especially in outdoor stadiums, amphitheaters, racetracks and the like, magnifying the applause sound requires vigorous clapping. Vigorous and prolonged clapping can lead to several problems. A lengthy event with many occasions for applause may cause stinging sensations in the palms of audience members. Numerous occasions of applause may lead to fatigue of the arms and hands so that the applause becomes less consistent and less enthusiastic during the latter part of the event. Low temperatures and other weather conditions may encourage the use of gloves which in turn makes ordinary hand clapping inadequate or ineffective. Some forms of noisemakers (horns, rattles and the like) may be inappropriate, unacceptable, awkward, clumsy, too large, or prohibited by the event management.
Noisemakers currently in use do not remove the problem of stinging palms caused by clapping. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,410, issued Jan. 20, 1970 to Crawford describes clapping “mittens” that fit onto the user's hands. The user's hands fit between the clapper surface and an elastic band which secures the mittens onto the user's hands. The user claps his hands together, which causes the mittens to come together creating a loud sound. However, since the users hands are still brought together in an open position with palms facing inward, this invention will still cause the user's hands to sting, possibly even more so than if only the clapper's hands were used to create applause. To alleviate the pain and fatigue, Crawford discloses that padding can be placed between the user's hand and the clapping surface. The use of padding, however, has the undesirable attribute of absorbing the impact of the two surfaces, thus creating dampening effect. Due to the unique position of the user's hands during the operation of the present invention, the need for padding to prevent pain and fatigue is eliminated. Since the user grasps the knob of the present invention with his fingers, the harsh effect of a hard object impacting the palm of the hand is avoided.